Durable Wading Boot Recommendations?

Driftless Dan said:
I don't have a brand or model to recommend, but as a former shoemaker, I will recommend that whatever boot you end up with, make sure the sole is stitched onto the upper, not glued onto it (Stoinedfish's pictures are good examples of a stitched outsole). A mechanical bond is a sure thing, and if your outsole wears out, you can easily have the boot re-soled. Most local cobblers will not guarantee a re-glue, and I don't blame them. All footwear these days is made with waterbased cements, and these hydrolize and disintegrate over time if immersed in water long enough.
Click to expand...
I was surprised how my foot tractors dropped a sole, but I wore through the threads that secure the felt to the boot (last?) fairly quickly with miles put on. It held for 3-4 years though. But when the glue started to release that was all she wrote. The little broken off threads were all hanging off the boot.
 
As someone else in the hefty club (6’5” 250 lbs), there’s one disadvantage to boots lasting too long. Over time the cushioning midsole breaks down and support goes to hell. When I compare an old heavily used pair to new of the same style, the difference is obvious. I’ve been satisfied with the longevity of Simms boots for decades now, a distinct bright spot for me. Everyone’s different
 
Thank you all for your suggestions. I ended up going with Patagonia's Danner Foot Tractors with Aluminum Bars (big name, but wanted to be model specific).

I started them on 1 January to make tracking easier. One month (31 sessions for a total of 43.28 miles walked in 97.9 hours (each session rounded down to nearest 15 minutes)) later I feel like these are the best boots I've ever owned and they're still going strong. Some wear on the rubber, and definite wear on the metal bars. For context, I am 6'7 and 226 lbs. Lighter folks may see less wear.

No corrosion yet despite 20 of the sessions being in saltwater. I have, however, taken the extra step of waxing the metal each night before a salt day, and thouroughly sprayed the boots with freshwater after each salt immersion and then soaked them in fresh water for a few hours after each salt trip (I chuck them in a bin of warm fresh water when I get to work and pull them out at lunchtime).

They haven't been dry since I got them, which may eventually cause them to fall apart, so time will tell whether I should have gotten two pairs and rotated them. Fortunately, when they do eventually crap out Patagonia will repair them.
 
J Watrous said:
Thank you all for your suggestions. I ended up going with Patagonia's Danner Foot Tractors with Aluminum Bars (big name, but wanted to be model specific).

I started them on 1 January to make tracking easier. One month (31 sessions for a total of 43.28 miles walked in 97.9 hours (each session rounded down to nearest 15 minutes)) later I feel like these are the best boots I've ever owned and they're still going strong. Some wear on the rubber, and definite wear on the metal bars. For context, I am 6'7 and 226 lbs. Lighter folks may see less wear.

No corrosion yet despite 20 of the sessions being in saltwater. I have, however, taken the extra step of waxing the metal each night before a salt day, and thouroughly sprayed the boots with freshwater after each salt immersion and then soaked them in fresh water for a few hours after each salt trip (I chuck them in a bin of warm fresh water when I get to work and pull them out at lunchtime).

They haven't been dry since I got them, which may eventually cause them to fall apart, so time will tell whether I should have gotten two pairs and rotated them. Fortunately, when they do eventually crap out Patagonia will repair them.
Click to expand...
Nice. I like my Pata-Danners a lot for ruggedness ad stability. Heavy SOBs, but oh well.
Not us, the boots. I don't weigh all that much less than you which I agree can do a number on lesser footwear. I'm a good bit shorter than you though. Hmmm.

Anyway. Did you get rubber or felt soles with aluminum?

Be forewarned--I figured out the repair process for my first set of Pata-Danners, which dropped a felt sole after years of use, I don't know how many days but a good many. The boot uppers were still going, but the leather was definitely thinner than new. You have to send (or take) them to Patagonia's repair center, where they evaluate them, then they may send them to Danner, who will evaluate them and might repair them, and the whole thing is going to take a couple months minimum. I didn't have a couple months when I took them to the store, and they offered to send me brand new ones (with brand new thick leather uppers), so I took that offer, and they were shipped to me and at my house a few days later. So I don't know how "sustainable" that is but I do feel like I've gotten more of my money's worth when I paid full retail for them at the local fly shop.
 
Matt B said:
Nice. I like my Pata-Danners a lot for ruggedness ad stability. Heavy SOBs, but oh well.
Not us, the boots. I don't weigh all that much less than you which I agree can do a number on lesser footwear. I'm a good bit shorter than you though. Hmmm.

Anyway. Did you get rubber or felt soles with aluminum?

Be forewarned--I figured out the repair process for my first set of Pata-Danners, which dropped a felt sole after years of use, I don't know how many days but a good many. The boot uppers were still going, but the leather was definitely thinner than new. You have to send (or take) them to Patagonia's repair center, where they evaluate them, then they may send them to Danner, who will evaluate them and might repair them, and the whole thing is going to take a couple months minimum. I didn't have a couple months when I took them to the store, and they offered to send me brand new ones (with brand new thick leather uppers), so I took that offer, and they were shipped to me and at my house a few days later. So I don't know how "sustainable" that is but I do feel like I've gotten more of my money's worth when I paid full retail for them at the local fly shop.
Click to expand...
What’s interesting is that they do weigh more than my Simms boots, but on my feet feel as light or lighter. Not sure of how that can be, but that’s my experience.

I ended up with the rubber souls with aluminum bars.

Fingers crossed that when the repair time comes, they don’t quote me at months, but if they do I’ll send them out to get repaired and buy a new pair. That way I get two in rotation and can keep with the repair ethos I’d like to support.
 
Just cracked a milestone today with the Patagonia Foot Tractors (aluminum bar), so I figured I'd share my experience so far. Anecdotal as hell, but maybe someone else is considering whether these boots are "worth it" so here goes:

150 miles walked over the course of 200+ hours in a mixture of saltwater and fresh, and the boots still look almost new. Some wear on rubber tread, and I'm on my 2nd set of aluminum bars (replaced about 50 miles ago--forgot to make a note), but I am blown away by their durability.

Some notes on my boot care/setup:

1. I coiled some zinc wire on each boot at the bottom lace. Don't know if this is helping prevent corrosion or not, but no corrosion to be seen on the metal parts of either boot. This might also be due to my rubbing wax on them when cleaning and conditioning the boots.

2. I soak the boots in fresh water for a while after each salt session, then put them on an unheated boot dryer for a few more hours, and when dry I clean, condition, and wax them using the kit I got from Otterwax. This might be overkill, but I enjoy the process/ritual.

3. The laces are starting to go, so I'm going to replace them with 550 paracord sheath (regular 550 with the core removed). They'll lay flatter, and we'll see how that compares in durability.


Edit: Added make and model of boots for clarity.
 
Last edited:
J Watrous said:
Just cracked a milestone today, so I figured I'd share my experience so far. Anecdotal as hell, but maybe someone else is considering whether these boots are "worth it" so here goes:

150 miles walked over the course of 200+ hours in a mixture of saltwater and fresh, and the boots still look almost new. Some wear on rubber tread, and I'm on my 2nd set of aluminum bars (replaced about 50 miles ago--forgot to make a note), but I am blown away by their durability.

Some notes on my boot care/setup:

1. I coiled some zinc wire on each boot at the bottom lace. Don't know if this is helping prevent corrosion or not, but no corrosion to be seen on the metal parts of either boot. This might also be due to my rubbing wax on them when cleaning and conditioning the boots.

2. I soak the boots in fresh water for a while after each salt session, then put them on an unheated boot dryer for a few more hours, and when dry I clean, condition, and wax them using the kit I got from Otterwax. This might be overkill, but I enjoy the process/ritual.

3. The laces are starting to go, so I'm going to replace them with 550 paracord sheath (regular 550 with the core removed). They'll lay flatter, and we'll see how that compares in durability.
Click to expand...
I have two sets of these laces. The older set is now many years old. They last longer than boots, they tighten nicely, and they stay tied well. https://www.obenaufs.com/waxed-boot...UYqbp3neK_Xs5nXvnx9n7-SsIhLTEu2xWXSLNvs3KaScU
 
Sorry to steal the show… but Patagucci Ultralights are the best damn boot ever made. I just had my felts resoled and I will probably have my “sticky rubber” resoled with Vibram. Really a shame they went a different direction.
 
Boa system where the wires are coated will eventually gum up as the coating wears off and messes the dial mechanism up. Stick to straight unexposed cable.

Ankle support. Lightweight boots offer less ankle support. I’m someone who can easily roll an ankle on a moving rock so I’m willing to sacrifice some weight for ankle support. Though the boots with better ankle support can be a hassle on and off at times. This is less of an issue in salt water. (Think Deschutes or Hoh ankle support)

While I don’t like simms waders I do like their boots. I think the older simms boots are better than today’s tho. These are 20 year old boots and are tough ….resoled 3 times but they are coming apart again. image.jpg







image.jpg

Old style light weight boots from simms also …..resoled once. Don’t wear as much due to ankle support but do wear in salt from time to time. I rinsed and did my preventive care but you can see eyelets are corroding a bit and aqua oxidation has occurred. image.jpg

I recently tried on some korkers and really liked them but I did questioning the durability. The ease of in and out was nice. With my current simms I can struggle getting on and off especially when cold and damp. It’s a bit of an effort MHO.

But my favorite fishing foot wear is these. If you remember the name Bite…. So comfortable… and usually means good weather.


image.jpg

image.jpg

With all this I have been eyeing Patagonia Forras. Not sure what the mid-purple tag lace
Is all about. Not sure if a great boot either. 🤔
 
So... about wax on Boa laces... why do you need it? My 4 year-old Korkers have needed sole replacements, but the Boa laces have not shown any signs of wear, rust, or other potential signs of failure. I fish more freshwater than salt, but I have soaked my boots in salt water many times, and there are zero signs of rust or anything harmful on the laces. On the minus, I personally feel the Boa laces don't achieve as accurate a "fit" as traditional laces can, but the longevity has been nothing less than stellar for me... this coming from someone who burns through waders and boots faster than most.
 
as it turned out, my Orvis Pros finally gave up the ghost (after some 7ish years of pretty heavy use). The seams are separating and on the same trip the Boas finally died, which, if that was all, I'd just replace them, but I got a ton of use out of those boots.
 
Shad said:
So... about wax on Boa laces... why do you need it? My 4 year-old Korkers have needed sole replacements, but the Boa laces have not shown any signs of wear, rust, or other potential signs of failure. I fish more freshwater than salt, but I have soaked my boots in salt water many times, and there are zero signs of rust or anything harmful on the laces. On the minus, I personally feel the Boa laces don't achieve as accurate a "fit" as traditional laces can, but the longevity has been nothing less than stellar for me... this coming from someone who burns through waders and boots faster than most.
Click to expand...
If you’re referring to my boots, I don’t have Boa system on them. Just the stock Patagonia laces.
 
clarkman said:
as it turned out, my Orvis Pros finally gave up the ghost (after some 6ish years of pretty heavy use). The seams are separating and on the same trip the Boas finally died, which, if that was all, I'd just replace them, but I got a ton of use out of those boots.
Click to expand...
6 years is awesome. I'd say you "won" there.
 
Shad said:
6 years is awesome. I'd say you "won" there.
Click to expand...
totally agree. My pro waders are still mostly going with a bit of aquaseal. I got them around the same time as the boots.

It should be noted though, that both those waders and those boots were mostly just worn during colder parts of the year when I couldn't wet wade (for trout)....even so, I used them pretty hard.
 
Porter2 said:
Boa system where the wires are coated will eventually gum up as the coating wears off and messes the dial mechanism up. Stick to straight unexposed cable.

Ankle support. Lightweight boots offer less ankle support. I’m someone who can easily roll an ankle on a moving rock so I’m willing to sacrifice some weight for ankle support. Though the boots with better ankle support can be a hassle on and off at times. This is less of an issue in salt water. (Think Deschutes or Hoh ankle support)

While I don’t like simms waders I do like their boots. I think the older simms boots are better than today’s tho. These are 20 year old boots and are tough ….resoled 3 times but they are coming apart again. View attachment 146135







View attachment 146136

Old style light weight boots from simms also …..resoled once. Don’t wear as much due to ankle support but do wear in salt from time to time. I rinsed and did my preventive care but you can see eyelets are corroding a bit and aqua oxidation has occurred. View attachment 146137

I recently tried on some korkers and really liked them but I did questioning the durability. The ease of in and out was nice. With my current simms I can struggle getting on and off especially when cold and damp. It’s a bit of an effort MHO.

But my favorite fishing foot wear is these. If you remember the name Bite…. So comfortable… and usually means good weather.


View attachment 146142

View attachment 146143

With all this I have been eyeing Patagonia Forras. Not sure what the mid-purple tag lace
Is all about. Not sure if a great boot either. 🤔
Click to expand...
How’s the toe protection on those sandals?
 
I've beaten up two pairs of my Orvis wading boots, an older version of the Pro's! They hold up to the miles, but I don't cover as much ground as you guys do, but use them in the salt and my next beach boots won't have metal rollers on them. They're frozen up with salt!

I have had the boots replaced once, and will send my current pair in when I get another boot to use while they evaluate them!

These might work for you, they go up to a size 15.

www.orvis.com

Men’s Clearwater Wading Boots - Rubber Sole

We've added impressive new features to our updated men's Clearwater rubber sole wading boots.
www.orvis.com www.orvis.com
 
only 15? I thought that Jake was something like a size 27 special order type of thing....

He should really be reaching out to Shaq to find out where he gets his custom made shoes or something....
 
clarkman said:
only 15? I thought that Jake was something like a size 27 special order type of thing....

He should really be reaching out to Shaq to find out where he gets his custom made shoes or something....
Click to expand...
He can just cut the front of the boots off! Keep his toes in the water.. and oddly enough, he probably doesn't need flippers for his float tube! Or so I hear! LOL!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top